


Sometimes out of Spite, Most times out of Love

by IvyCpher



Category: Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Girls with Guns, Gunshot Wounds, Happy Ending, Jason "J. D." Dean Gets Help, Swearing, Vegetarian Jason "J.D." Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-19 15:58:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19976707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvyCpher/pseuds/IvyCpher
Summary: Alternative ending where Veronica doesn't leave JD in the basement and she takes him to the hospital so he can get physically and mentally better.





	Sometimes out of Spite, Most times out of Love

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of this post! 
> 
> https://pastelwest.tumblr.com/post/127262734241/heathers-au-where-veronica-just-punches-jd-in-his

Veronica's hands were shaking and everything felt like it was moving too fast. Maybe it was the adrenalin, it was probably that, but it was also the fear. She was afraid, she had never been more afraid in her life. Not when she broke her pinky finger in the fifth grade, not when she was rear ended in her mom's car, not when she first went on a roller coaster, not even when she accidentally killed Heather Chandler.

Veronica was in the school basement, hidden behind a large water heater and trying to calm herself enough so she wouldn't drop the damned gun in her hands. The air down there was stale and heavy in her lungs, it made her feel like she was suffocating. Above her she could hear the band playing, off tune as always, but a slight comfort all the rest. She took in a large breath, closed her eyes tightly, and prayed to the God that never answered. Then she steadied the gun in her hands and jumped out from behind the water heater and into the isle facing Jason Dean and his ticking bomb.

"Step away from the bomb, I'll shoot you so don't fucking try anything!" Veronica shouted, pointing the gun at JD's chest. His hair was a mess and his eyes were dark and absent of the person he was when she met him, he looked like he hadn't slept in days. Even considering the situation they were in.. Veronica couldn't help but feel worried for him, it was her character flaw, her fucking Achilles heel. She cared too goddamn much and she knew it. "Tell me how to turn it off and maybe I just won't shoot you."

Jason's hands flew into the air, with one he held a tiny gas station pocket knife and with the other he flipped her off. "Fuck you, Ronnie!"

Veronica felt the gun kick in her hands but she didn't even realize her finger had squeezed the trigger until JD was on the floor and screaming with his hand now all bloody. She had shot off his finger and felt numb to it. "How do I turn off the goddamned bomb,  _ I swear to fucking God-"  _ She took in a large breath and briefly looked away while he cursed over his bleeding stump of what used to be a finger. "You haven't drank the Kool-Aid yet, you can still stop all this if you just tell me how to stop the bomb!" With an uneasy hand she pulled back the gun's slide, it clicked and a new bullet was put into it's chamber. She hoped she wouldn't have to use it. 

The bomb counted down to just under a minute.

Jason found an oily rag on the floor and used it to try and slow his hand's bleeding. "What's the  _ fucking  _ point anymore? Blow up the school or not, nothing changes! There will still be no to love me and my head will still be some fucking maze I'll never be able to figure out!  _ And no one in this hellhole of a school will ever get along! _ " His eyes darted to his dropped knife on the ground and before Veronica could even give a word of warning JD grabbed it and sprang up to attack.

With a startled shriek Veronica pulled the trigger again and for a moment she thought she had missed but then JD stumbled back and he accidentally plunged his knife into the bomb. It beeped loudly and she thought that it might explode but then the countdown stopped. A dark stain was growing at Jason's side as he fell back into a mass of tire chains and orange extension cords. She stood there with her arms raised and the gun pointed at the spot where JD had fallen, but when he did not rise up like a zombie she dropped the gun and it clattered to the ground.

Veronica couldn't tell if she was breathing or if she wasn't, her head was spinning and she felt like she was in an oven. She took one slow breath, then another, and another. She felt like she was on the edge of a bottomless pit of an anxiety attack, but she couldn't- wouldn't let that happen right now. She shook her head and slowly walked over to were Jason had fell. She parted the curtain of chains and cords and saw him on the floor in pain and clutching his side where she had shot him. Even if he did try to kill her and blow up the school, she couldn't leave him like this, on the floor to die like some rat in a trap. She knew that this wasn't the man she had fell in love with.. She wanted him back, the real JD.

"You're an asshole," Veronica said, bending down to help JD up. "But I'm not going to let you die here, keep pressing on the wound." She told him as she wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders and wobbled into a standing position.

Jason hissed and covered his gunshot wound with his injured hand. He stared at Veronica in silence as they hobbled to the basement stairs together. "You fucked me up pretty bad, I never thought you could do this much." He said finally. "I shouldn't of underestimated your power."

"You were already fucked up when I met you, JD," Veronica let Jason lean on her as they walked up the stairs together, "But I plan to help you become less of a fuck up if I can."

"And just how do you plan to do that?"

"I'm taking you to a psych ward, I'm not letting you do anymore damage to yourself or to anyone else for that matter." And when she looked at him, Veronica knew that JD would let her do this. He wasn't in any position or condition to argue anyways.

  
  


***

  
  


The hospital felt the same after all these years… Veronica was fifteen minutes early for the visiting hours, she sat in the waiting room in one of the uncomfortable green chairs and waited for one of the nurses to come fetch her. It was always the same nurse, a tall blond guy named Patrik. He was JD's assigned nurse in case he tried anything dangerous; in the two weeks he had been in the hospital though, he hadn't tried anything.

Veronica had been the hospital once before JD was admitted, when her aunt on her mother's side was taken in. After she had had her second child, she went into dark depressive episodes and would lock herself in her room for days and wouldn't speak to anyone. She had to be brought in by Veronica's uncle by force. She stayed for three months and was diagnosed with postpartum depression. Veronica remembered coming to visit her when she was getting better, her room was bright and filled with flowers that didn't smell like anything. She remembered the little cup of pills she had to take. She remembered-

"Mrs. Sawyer," Veronica jumped in her seat and looked up to see Patrik, JD's nurse, smiling softly at her. She realized that she had been clutching some out of date magazine like a life line and tossed it to the little table beside her that had more magazines and an empty box of tissues. "You can come on in and see Jason now."

Veronica nodded and stood up, she followed Patrik out of the waiting room and to hall that was lead to the rest of the hospital but was closed off by a thick metal door and a lady guard who sat on a stool reading a Cosmopolitan. The guard looked up and smiled faintly at them, "Hey, Pat." Stood up and unlocked the door and held it open.

"Hey, Max." Patrik returned her smile and ducked under her arm. Veronica followed him. The door shut loudly behind them and she heard the click of the lock as Max locked it again.

Together they walked down the hall until they stopped at JD's door. "I'll be here to get you when the hour is up," Patrik said.

"Thanks, Patrik," Veronica managed to smile, she put her hand on the cold metal doorknob and a shiver ran down her spine. She waited until he started down the hallway to open the door. This would be the second time she got to visit JD since he was admitted. She had visited him three days prior with a few changes of clothes that she had stolen from her father, she couldn't stand being alone with JD's dad to get him his own clothes.

She twisted the knob and opened the door, the room was bright with the curtains open and very clean. JD was seated on the bed in a grey sweatshirt and too-big and baggy sweats. He was reading a beat up copy of Moby Dick, but when he saw her enter the room he put the book down without even marking his place, "Veronica, hey!" He smiled and pushed himself off the bed.

Veronica smiled and shut the door behind her, she walked over to him and gave him a hug. "Hey," She was careful not to squeeze him too tightly so as not to hurt his healing wound. "How are you doing?" She asked, pulling away from the hug.

Jason shrugged and sat down on his bed, Veronica sat besides him and put her hand on his knee. "Fine I guess, I can't tell you how hard it is to get vegetarian food around here." He flashed her a grin and started to crack his knuckles one by one. "I've been practically living off of jello and fruit cups."

"Do you want me to bring you some food from my house? I can make you spaghetti- extra oregano of course." Veronica smiled softly.

"That'd be great, Ronnie, if i have to eat another piece of green jello I'll fucking puke." JD laughed and looked at Veronica but she didn't laugh with him.

"Have you been taking the meds they give you?" She asked once his laughter stopped.

Jason's smile faltered, he nodded softly. "All of them, yeah." He went quiet for a moment and looked at the tile floor. "I feel different already honestly, in a good way." He put his bandaged hand over Veronica's. "The- the static in my head is nearly gone now, and the station is clean and clear."

Veronica looked down at JD's injured hand in it's clean, white bandages. "That's good, that station- it's you. The real you." She let herself lean against him.

"You think?"

"I know."

When Veronica came to visit three days ago, Jason had told her everything that had happened since coming to the hospital. He told her that after his surgery to remove the bullet that a psychiatrist came to speak with him in his room. He told her how they were nothing like Mrs. Flemming, how they didn't spew bullshit. How they actually talked to him like he was a person and not some animal in a cage. He told her how he was diagnosed as a psychosis schizophrenic. How the principal from the school visited and told him he was expelled but since he was clearly need of "mental help" how the school would not be pressing charges. How he told no one about the murders of Heather, Kurt, and Ram.

"You know Veronica, sometimes it's really hard to take those pills," JD took his hand off of Veronica's and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He didn't look at her as he spoke, "I choke on them sometimes because it's just so damn hard to swallow them," He turned to her, and his eyes were bright. "But.. But then I think of you, I think about all the shit I put you through, and how you still decided to save my fucked up ass."

"I'm proud of you, JD," Veronica smiled, "I am, you're getting better and better each day, I hope you know that."

"Think I'll ever get good enough for you to be my girl again?" 

Veronica bit her lip, she raised her hand to Jason's cheek. "You're already good enough, JD.. I- I just need some time is all."

Jason nodded softly and leaned into Veronica's touch with a sigh, "I still love you."

"And I still love you."

**Author's Note:**

> My friend asked me to write this! I had fun with it!
> 
> Comments are very much appreciated!!


End file.
